AFC Asian Cup: Hong Kong coach Jorn Andersen fumes over controversial refereeing decisions, blasts UAE players
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Jorn Andersen slammed the inconsistency of match officials after his Hong Kong side were on the wrong end of a series of controversial decisions in their AFC Asian Cup finals defeat by the United Arab Emirates on Sunday.
Playing in the tournament for the first time since 1968, Hong Kong competed ferociously against the 2015 and 2019 semi-finalists, but their efforts were undermined by a trio of VAR interventions.
The UAE were awarded two penalties in the 3-1 win at Khalifa International Stadium, while a late Michael Udebuluzor strike was disallowed for handball.
“I am very proud of the team, we played a great match … with high energy and high pressing, and created a lot of possibilities,” Andersen said. “But we were very unlucky, in European football those penalties would never be given.
“Everybody can see the situation … these penalties, they do not give next time, and penalties they did not give, they will next time. Then we score a goal, and they say Michael touched the ball with his hand. But we have to forget it.”
Despite the result, Hong Kong, the lowest ranked team in Qatar, answered the question over whether they would be suffocated by nerves with the eyes of the continent on them.